Jang Il-Soon (3 September 1928 in

Wonju Wonju () is the most populous city in Gangwon Province, South Korea. The city is located approximately east of Seoul. Wonju was the site of three crucial battles during the Korean War. Geography Wonju sits at the southwestern corner of Gangw ...

– 22 May 1994) was a South Korean educator and social and environment activist. His pen names are ''Chunggang'' (clean water), ''Muwydang'' (wu-wei), and ''Ilsokja'' (a hulled millet). He was a spiritual supporter of poet

Kim Chi-Ha Kim Jiha ( ko, 김지하; 4 February 1941 – 8 May 2022) was a South Korean poet and playwright.LTI Korea Author Database: http://klti.or.kr/ke_04_03_011.do# Biography Kim Jiha was born Kim Yeongil on 4 February 1941 in Mokpo, Jeollanam-do. ...

, who represented the democratization movement in the 1970s and developed a campaign for life through Hansallim. In 1994, he died from stomach cancer.

Biography

As a child, Jang learned an esteem for life and calligraphy from his grandfather and Chagang Park, Ki Jung. In 1940, he graduated from Wonju elementary school, and was Christened ''John'' after being baptized at Won-Dong Catholic church. He studied at

Henry Appenzeller Rev. Henry Gerhard Appenzeller (February 6, 1858 – June 11, 1902) was a Methodist missionary. He and four other missionaries, including Horace N. Allen, Horace G. Underwood, William B. Scranton, and Mary F. Scranton introduced Protestant Chr ...

's Pai Chai Middle School and Pai Chai High School in Seoul. After graduating from high school, he attended Gyeongseong Industrial Technical School (경성공업전문학교) in Seoul, but was expelled for opposing the appointment of

John R. Hodge General John Reed Hodge (June 12, 1893 – November 12, 1963) was a highly decorated senior officer of the United States Army. His final assignment before retiring was as Chief of Army Field Forces from 1952 to 1953. Early life and career Born ...

to lead the

United States Army Military Government in Korea The United States Army Military Government in Korea (USAMGIK) was the official ruling body of the Southern half of the Korean Peninsula from 8 September 1945 to 15 August 1948. The country during this period was plagued with political and eco ...

.Choi, Sunghyun, A hulled millet Jang Il-soon.(p.23) At that time he met Choi Je-woo and Choi Shi-hyung, who were major influences on him. In 1946, he entered began studying aesthetics at Seoul National University, but left and returned to his hometown during the

Korean War , date = {{Ubl, 25 June 1950 – 27 July 1953 (''de facto'')({{Age in years, months, weeks and days, month1=6, day1=25, year1=1950, month2=7, day2=27, year2=1953), 25 June 1950 – present (''de jure'')({{Age in years, months, weeks a ...

in 1950. In 1954, Jang established the Dae-Sung school in Wonju in order to pass on the teachings of An Chang-ho, and participated in the One World Movement, comparing notes with Albert Einstein. From 1961 to 1963, Jang was incarcerated in

Seodaemun Prison Seodaemun Prison History Hall is a museum and former prison in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, South Korea. It was constructed beginning in 1907. The prison was opened on October 21, 1908, under the name Gyeongseong Gamok. During the early part of the Japa ...

and Chuncheon Prison, because he advocated neutrality, peace, and unification. After being discharged from prison, he was kept under watch, so he remained in seclusion and concentrated on calligraphy. In 1971, he joined a street demonstration for

social justice Social justice is justice in terms of the distribution of wealth, Equal opportunity, opportunities, and Social privilege, privileges within a society. In Western Civilization, Western and Culture of Asia, Asian cultures, the concept of social ...

and struggled against the despotism of Park Chung-hee with Catholic bishop Ji Hak-soon. In 1973, Jang also helped start a disaster measure committee for assisting in disaster relief after flooding and advocated for miners' rights. In 1977, he switched from working for manual laborers and farmers to advocating for life based on symbiosis. In 1983, he established Hansallim union and held six private exhibitions in Seoul to promote the union, which is an organization established to connect rural farmers directly with urban customers. In 1989, he built a monument to Dong Hak's second leader, Choi Shi-hyung, in Hojeo-myun, Wonju, where he was arrested by government troops. In 1993, he published a book, ''Lao-tzu Story Of Jang Il-soon'', which analyzed his views of life, with the help of minister Lee Hyun-ju.

Notes

References

*Jang, Il-soon. ''A universe in a seed.'' Daegu: Nokseakpyungronsa, 1999. *Jang, Il-soon. ''Lao-tzu story of Jang il-soon.'' Seoul: Samin, 2003. {{DEFAULTSORT:Jang, Il-Soon 1928 births 1994 deaths South Korean educators Deaths from stomach cancer